Blanket of Fear
by Sage Londyn
Summary: Saffron has always been interested in the paranormal. Not long after her family relocates to Mystic Falls, she figures out the town has vampires living among them. But what will happen when she learns Damon's secret? Be careful what you wish for…


**Chapter One: **_**Blanket of Fear.**_

"_I am awake under this blanket of fear, and I must say none of the people I see belong here. _

_Now everyone's asleep, but I am awake and I am dreaming… I believe it's time for a rude awakening._

_So hold onto your dreams, because your nightmares might seem like they're your reality._

_I believe the only thing we have to fear is fear itself and the man behind the curtain, I heard him say that dreamers have become an endangered species. I am aware of this rude awakening." -Blanket of Fear –Papa Roach_

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"You ready for your first day, honey?" Rose asked her daughter as she stood in the doorway of her room.

"I thought you left for work already." Saffron said as she nervously ran the flat iron through her naturally very dark brunette hair.

"I wanted to make sure you headed out for school first." Rose said as she took a seat on the edge of her daughters' bed.

"No you didn't. You wanted to ask me for the hundredth time since last night If I'm okay…" Saffron said, as she unplugged the hair straightener and misted herself with perfume.

"Well?" Rose asked concern showing on her face.

"Are you okay?" Saffron asked her mom back.

"I'm managing." Rose admitted.

"Yeah, ditto." Saffron said, immediately feeling bad for snapping at her mom.

Sighing, Saffron slung her empty book bag over her shoulder and said, "It's just like back in Ft. Wayne, mom. We'll get up every morning and you'll go to work, I'll go to school… we'll smile and pretend we're happy and getting along okay without him. Just because were in a new town doesn't change anything." Saffron said, shifting her dark blue eyes away from her mom's teary eyes as she spoke about their former town of Ft. Wayne, Indiana.

Crossing the room and looking into the mirror above her daughters dresser, her mom made sure her hair was pulled back perfectly in a tight bun before walking up to her teenage daughter.

"It is different. It's a new town, a new school year for you… new law firm for me. I'm nervous… I've got first day jitters." Rose admitted with a small laugh to her daughter.

Saffron's frown slowly turned into a smile, "Me too… Maybe we should both skip the first day."

"Ha. Nice try." Rose said. "Come on, I'll drop you off at school on my way to work."

As Rose pulled up to a door at the school, Saffron said, "Wait a minute. This was so not on your way to work!"

"I'm postponing the inevitable." Rose admitted.

"Not fair, mom." Saffron said with her eyes narrowed playfully.

Taking a deep breath, Saffron started towards the school. Armed with new supplies and her schedule; they had only been in town for a few weeks before it was time for school to start. Saffron had lost her father about six months prior to the move; he had died in a boating accident.

Trying to lift their spirits and deal with the death of her husband, Rose moved her and her only daughter to Mystic Falls, Virginia.

The first bell had already ringed and Saffron was still wandering around aimlessly trying to find her class.

"Excuse me." She said walking up to a couple of guys standing in the hallway.

"Hello." The one with dark hair said as his eyes scanned her over.

Shifting in her converse sneakers uncomfortably she said, "Hi."

"I'm Tyler." He said, continuing to check her out.

"Can you tell me where room M19 is? I'm beyond lost." She admitted, her dark blue eyes pleaded with him.

"You're new here, right? I certainly don't remember seeing you here before." Tyler said.

"Uh, yeah… just moved a few weeks ago." Saffron said, tucking some of her long almost black hair behind her ear and wishing he'd just give her directions.

"We should hang out, I could show you around town." Tyler offered, smiling a million dollar smile at her.

"I… um… just want to get to class, right now." She said after the second bell had already ringed.

"What's your name?" Tyler asked her paying no attention to the late bell.

"Come on, Tyler… leave her alone. M19 is…" The blond boy started to say when Tyler cut him off.

"I've got this, Matt. I'm headed there to." Tyler said to his friend before nodding to Saffron to follow him.

She looked up at Matt as he gave her a friendly smile before heading off to his own class.

"Saffron." She said, as they started down the empty hallway.

"What?" Tyler asked looking over at her.

"My name… is Saffron." She told him, smiling softly at him even though her stomach was in knots.

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Saffron stood in the girl's bathroom before lunch, holding onto both sides of the sink and taking a few deep breaths.

The door flew open and a girl walked in sighing loudly as she dropped her book bag on the floor with a thud.

"Oh, I'm sorry… I didn't think anyone was in here." The girl said her dark brown eyes a little wide.

"It's fine… I'm hiding out." Saffron admitted.

"Are you new?" The girl asked walking up to her.

Saffron nodded.

"And you're already hiding in the girl's bathroom? What happened?" She asked with a friendly laugh before saying, "I'm Elena."

"I'm Saffron." She said, immediately feeling comfortable with the girl.

"I need a distraction right now, so spill. Why are you hiding?" Elena asked.

"I'm hiding from this guy…" Saffron admitted.

"Which one?" Elena asked, raising en eyebrow.

"Tyler Lockwood. He hasn't left me alone since first period." Saffron said.

"You're fresh meat." Elena pointed out.

"I've noticed." Saffron said.

"With as small as Mystic Falls is, we don't get a lot of new students… and Tyler is… well, for a lack of a better term… a player." Elena forewarned her.

"I gathered that also, he's far too cute and far too smooth." Saffron said laughing with Elena.

"So, what brings your family here?" Elena asked.

Saffron's smile fell, "My dad died this summer… just before the end of school. My mom moved us here for a new start."

"I'm so sorry…" Elena said, looking down at the floor.

"I'm dealing. I just get so tired of everyone asking how I am or if I'm okay, it's honestly a bit of relief to be in a new place… where I can be normal. Instead of the poor girl whose dad died." Saffron went on to vent to her new friend.

"I know exactly what you mean. My parents both died over the summer in a car accident. I know people are worried about me, but I swear if one more person asks if I'm okay, I'm going to scream." Elena admitted.

"I'm sorry…" Saffron said her eyes sad as they met Elena's.

"I know we've just met… but if you need anyone to talk to, I'm here." Elena told her.

"Thanks, but the last thing I want to do is talk about it." Saffron admitted.

"I totally understand." Elena said.

"If you don't want to spend the rest of lunch in the bathroom, you could come and sit with me and my friends." Elena offered.

"That sounds great. Thank you." Saffron said as she followed Elena to the lunchroom.

"Bonnie, Caroline. This is Saffron, she's…" Elena started to introduce them but Caroline cut her off.

"The new girl who Tyler has been following around like a lost puppy all day." Caroline said, laughing.

"God, you noticed?" Saffron said laughing as she sat down next to the pretty blonde.

"Hard not to." Bonnie said smiling at the girl she had a few classes with.

They talked for a while, Saffron was so relived at how nice these girls were to her and she felt like she fit right in.

As the girls stood up to head to their after lunch classes, Tyler came up to her.

"So Saffron, what class do you have next?" He asked, Elena and Bonnie laughed and waved bye to their new friend.

"Study hall…" She said, her voice trailing off.

"I could show you to the room." Tyler offered.

"Paws off, Lockwood. I'm headed there now, she can come with me." Caroline said with a sigh.

"I was just being friendly." Tyler shot his words at her.

Rolling her eyes Caroline said, "Whatever. Come on, Saffron." Caroline instructed as she turned and started to walked away.

"Thanks anyways." Saffron said. It was her first day of school and she didn't want to make any enemies.

"Don't worry about it… we've got the last class of the day together. We'll meet at our lockers and I'll show you there." He said, smiling brilliantly before heading off to his next class.

Saffron quickly hurried down the hallway to catch up with Caroline cursing to herself about how her assigned locker was right next to Tyler's.

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"You poor thing, are you doing okay?" Caroline asked after Saffron explained why she moved to Mystic Falls.

"I'm fine." She replied, looking down at the book she was reading.

"Hey there." A guy said as he slid into the chair across from Saffron at their table.

"Andrew, hi." Caroline said, sitting up straight in her chair and smiling.

He introduced himself and then said, "I like your shirt."

She looked down at her Ghost Hunter's TV show, shirt.

"Thanks…" She said, raising an eyebrow.

"It's just that I don't really know anyone around here who is interested in the paranormal." He admitted.

"You believe in ghosts?" Caroline asked them both.

"Completely." Andrew said.

"Ghosts, demons, werewolves, shape-shifters, vampires, aliens… the whole nine. I'm a believer." Saffron admitted to her new friend.

"Me to!" Andrew exclaimed.

"I'm so interested in… ghosts and stuff to!" Caroline lied, trying to get Andrews attention.

"You're Caroline Forbes, right?" Andrew asked her with a kind smile.

Caroline blushed at the cute seniors attention as she nodded.

"You know, our local cemetery is crazy haunted. If you guys ever want to investigate or anything… let me know." Andrew told them as the bell rang.

"Sounds great, I've got a lot of my own equipment." Saffron said, as she gathered her books from the study table.

"I'm in." Caroline said.

Sitting in the next class Saffron looked over to Caroline, "What's wrong?" She asked.

"It's just… I've been trying to get Andrews attention since 7th grade, he never paid any attention to me. You're here one day and he spends the entire study hall talking to us. How do you do that? Just get a guys attention so effortlessly?" Caroline pouted.

"I don't… he was talking to me because he liked my shirt. And how the hell do you not get guys attention? You're gorgeous Caroline." Saffron said.

Sitting a little taller in her seat Caroline said, "Really? You really think so?"

"Honestly, yes. I do. You just need some common ground to talk to Andrew… your interest in the paranormal could be it." Saffron said as she drew a smiley face on the back of Caroline's hand with a dark pink Sharpie marker.

"Right." Caroline lied. She had made everything up to get Andrew to keep talking to her.

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Saffron walked around the large cemetery in Mystic Falls after school trying to see if she picked up any strange vibes or saw anything paranormal.

"Hey!'" A voice said.

Saffron looked over to see Elena leaned up against a headstone waving to her.

"Hey, What are you doing here?" Saffron asked as she walked over to her new friend.

"Visiting…" Elena said as she laid her diary on the ground beside her.

"Right, sorry. I didn't think…" Saffron said, awkwardly as she read the names on the headstone.

"What about you?" Elena asked her.

"I was just checking out the cemetery." Saffron admitted.

"That's… weird." Elena said, her nose a little wrinkled.

"I know, but this guy at school told me it's haunted and I wanted to check it out." Saffron said, her voice trailing off as she saw a black crow looking right at her from atop another headstone.

"Do you see that bird? It looks like it's going to attack me." Saffron said.

Elena looked up, as a dense fog started to swirl and rise around the two girls.

"Oh my god." Elena breathed jumping to her feet with her book bag.

"Whoa." Saffron said, with an intrigued smile, knowing there was no natural reason for the fog to occur.

"I don't think were alone." Saffron said, wishing she had brought some of her equipment with her.

"I have to go." Elena said as she practically ran from the graveyard.

Saffron looked around and slowly started to walk in the other direction, surprised as the fog followed her.

Stopping towards an old section of the cemetery she said, "Hello?"

"Hello." A male voice replied turning around she saw a man standing a few feet away. His blue eyes intense as he looked at her, his dark hair glistened in the sunlight.

Saffron sighed, "Hello." She responded again.

"Didn't we already establish that?" He questioned.

"Sorry, I don't mean to seem disappointed… I just didn't exactly come to the cemetery to talk to the living." She admitted.

Damon cocked his head to the side at her response.

"You'd rather speak to the dead?" Damon questioned.

"Yes." Saffron answered as she started to walk away. A chill ran down her spine as the stranger started to follow her.

"I'm Damon. Damon Salvatore." He told her, as he introduced himself.

Frowning as all the traces of the fog where now gone, Saffron said, "I'm Saffron. Wait, Salvatore… I have a few classes with a Stefan Salvatore. I don't really know anyone though, just moved to town."

"What a coincidence. My brother and I both recently moved in with our uncle." He said, even though he was smiling his eyes seemed to harbor something dark

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**A/N - Thank you for reading! I'm thinking this story might be a little different from my other Vampire Diaries stories, as of right now I think it's going to be a Tyler/Saffron and then eventual Damon/Saffron. I hope you all like it. ^_^**

**If you're interested in seeing this story continue please let me know. It will only take a few moments to leave a review and let me know you are reading and enjoying the story so far. I appreciate each and everyone of them! They inspire me to keep writing and to get the next chapter out quickly. ^_^**


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